Tanzania's extensive history goes back to prehistoric times. In Olduvai Gorge, one of the most famous archaeological sites, Homo habilis, one of modern human's ancestors was discovered. Historically the coastal area has been the setting for rivalry first between the Portuguese and Arab traders and later between various European powers. The country of Tanzania is the result of the political union between mainland Tanganyika and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba in 1964. The two parts of the union attained independence from Britain separately, the mainland in 1961 and Zanzibar in 1963. References:- Leakey MD. "A review of the Oldowan culture from Olduvai gorge, Tanzania". Nature (London)210:462-6. (1966)

Sample Description: Collected by C. Menendez. Unrelated individuals from Ifakara in the Kilombero district of the Morogoro region, southeastern Tanzania.
The sample was taken of newborns born at the St Francis District Hospital of Ifakara, which at the time of the study was the only government health facility of that level. The sample was selected from those births whose parents were permanent residents in the town. The population belonged to different ethnic groups, the most frequently represented were the following: Mndewe, Mpogoro, Mngoni, Mbunga, Mhehe, Mbena, and Mndamba. There were also a few Masais.
The population of this area of Tanzania, the Kilombero valley, was constructed through the government "forced" migration which occurred during the late sixties and seventies and that implied the movement of people from different regions of the country to this fertile valley. It is for this reason that there is a varied ethnic composition in the Ifakara area.

Sample Information:

Note: This sample information is not fully curated. For additional information about the sample, consult the publications under "References". The sample was entered as part of data submission by Eisenberg DA.